The rumors that preceded the iPhone

Όπως θα γνωρίζετε οι περισσότεροι το iPhone κυκλοφόρησε για πρώτη φορά στην αμερικανική αγορά στις 29 Ιουνίου του 2007. H παρουσίασή του, όμως, είχε γίνει κατά τη διάρκεια του Macworld Expo από τον Steve Jobs στις 9 Ιανουαρίου της ίδιας χρονιάς.

Πριν φτάσουμε σε εκείνη τη στιγμή, όμως, είχαμε ζήσει μια παρόμοια κατάσταση με αυτή που βιώνουμε σήμερα με την φημολογία των τελευταίων μηνών να περιστρέφεται γύρω από το tablet της Apple. Θα ήταν ενδιαφέρον να δούμε πως ο ηλεκτρονικός τύπος αντιμετώπιζε τότε την άγνωστη συσκευή που κατασκευαζόταν στα εργαστήρια στο Cupertino ώστε να μπορούμε να αξιολογήσουμε και την κατάσταση που επικρατεί τώρα με το “iTablet/iSlate“.

Στη συνέχεια αυτού του αφιερώματος θα εκπλαγείτε με το πόσο έξω είχε πέσει η συντριπτική πλειοψηφία των bloggers και site της εποχής. Η Apple κατάφερε να παρουσιάσει πραγματικά κάτι τελείως καινοτόμο που δεν είχε σκεφτεί κανείς άλλος και του οποίου την επίδραση συζητάμε και μελετάμε τρία χρόνια μετά! Κυριολεκτικά, δηλαδή, “σκέφτηκαν διαφορετικά” και η αναμονή άξιζε και με το παραπάνω.

Λένε πως η ιστορία έχει την τάση να επαναλαμβάνεται. Μένουν, όπως όλα δείχνουν, λίγες εβδομάδες μέχρι να μάθουμε αν αυτό θα ισχύσει και στην περίπτωση του “iSlate/iTablet“.

Πάρτε μια βαθιά ανάσα και ξεκινάμε:

Ας αρχίσουμε με κάτι εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρον. O John Markoff σε άρθρο του στους New York Times στις 18 Αυγούστου του 2002 (5 χρόνια πριν την παρουσίαση του iPhone) είχε προβλέψει σωστά το όνομα του iPhone, ότι θα βασιζόταν στο Mac OS και ότι θα ήταν περισσότερο σαν ένας φορητός υπολογιστής παρά σαν ένα “iPod-τηλέφωνο” επισημαίνοντας τη στροφή της Apple στην αγορά των φορητών συσκευών.

And now come signs that Mr. Jobs means to take Apple back to the land of the handhelds, but this time with a device that would combine elements of a cellphone and a Palm -like personal digital assistant.

Mr. Jobs and Apple decline to confirm those plans. But industry analysts see evidence that Apple is contemplating what inside the company is being called an “iPhone.”

Now, with the release of the newest version of the Macintosh operating system, Mr. Jobs appears intent on taking Apple itself into the hand-held market. The move would play into Apple’s so-called digital hub strategy, in which the Macintosh desktop computer is the center of a web of peripheral devices.

Ακολουθεί δημοσίευμα του Paul Sloan στο BusinessWeek 2.0 τον Απρίλη του 2005 που προβλέπει ότι το iPhone θα είναι όντως επαναστατικό και ότι ο Steve Jobs δεν θα ανεχτεί τον τσαμπουκά των παρόχων κινητής τηλεφωνίας.

Apple fans–and a fair number of nonfans–lust for some sort of Apple phone. The infuriating design and general clunkiness of most mobile phones today cry out for the Apple touch. Jobs has teamed up with Motorola to make a phone that will let users play a handful of songs downloaded from iTunes. But this could be just a prelude to Apple’s entrance into the phone market. With Motorola, Apple has already helped build a prototype of a combination phone/iPod that resembles the iPod in look and feel, according to someone familiar with it.

An Apple phone’s functions could be accessed hassle-free with the iPod’s scroll wheel, and the numbers could work with a slide-out keyboard or a simple touchpad system on the screen. It seems certain that Apple could vastly improve on current phones’ finger-snarling methods of retrieving contacts, calendars, and music.

As appealing as the idea is, there’s a big barrier to Apple’s making a cell phone or phone/iPod combination without a partner. Jobs would need to collaborate with the wireless carriers. Carriers often place demands on phone makers, even insisting on certain functions, and Jobs, ever the control freak, would never put up with that. Yet as beefier phones hit the market–Samsung is set this year to roll out the first cell phone with an internal hard drive, making it far better than current phones for storing music–Apple could feel pressure to strike back.

O Harry MacCracken στις 22 Μαρτίου 2006 σε άρθρο του στο PC World τα προβλέπει…όλα λάθος!

Australian site Smarthouse is reporting that insiders at [a] Taiwanese manufacturing powerhouse are saying that Apple is definitely working on its own phone. I’ll believe it when Steve Jobs pulls it from his jeans pocket at a keynote and pronounces it incredible, but it does seem like a logical move: I’m not sure if there’s a single phone in the world that’s at good at doing what it does as the iPod is at doing what it does. A terrific music phone could be the kind of game-changing product that’s Apple’s core competency.

Playing devil’s advocate, though, designing wireless phones is no cakewalk–there’s a reason why there aren’t all that many companies in the world that do it. Even with help, it would be a huge step for Apple.

And the swiss-army knife philosophy of today’s phones seems anything but Jobsian. Would the iPhone play music, capture still photos and video, do e-mail and browsing, and be a mobile gaming platform (oh, and let you make phone calls)? Or could Apple get away with introducing an elegant device that did voice, music, and possibly video extremely well–and didn’t even try to do anything else?

O Mike Hughlett στις 8 Μαϊου 2006 σε άρθρο του στη Chicago Tribune προβλέπει την αποτυχία του iPhone

Mark Stahlman, a stock analyst at Caris, said a phone venture would be a “distraction” for Apple. “It’s so different from what they’ve done to date.”

He noted, too, that the wireless industry is known as a particularly competitive business.

The same couldn’t be said for the MP3 business before the iPod took off, he said. Ditto for the computer business when Apple released its first model in the late 1970s.

Once the industry became fiercely competitive, Apple’s market share dropped and today is in the low single digits.

“Apple has done extremely well when it has had no competition,” Stahlman said.

Michelle Meyers,  6 Ιουνίου 2006 στο Cnet….AppleBerry. Apple what?

Although they agree that the idea of the AppleBerry–a combination iPod/BlackBerry–is enough to send gadget addicts directly into rehab–bloggers just aren’t biting on the iPhone rumor mill’s latest flavor-of-the-month. The concept of the hybrid fruit began to propagate around the Web after analyst Peter Misek of Canaccord Capital suggested Apple Computer and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion might be working on a product together based on the advice of their common partner, Intel. The pairing combines Apple’s design expertise with RIM’s relationships with carriers and handset makers, Misek said.

O Jeremy Horwitz, 7 Σεπτέμβρη 2006 στο iLounge ήταν σε καλό δρόμο:

Of course, the new patents sound suspiciously like what YourMacLife suggested was about to be released as the iPod phone. The concept can be summed up simply as a touchscreen-based phone with the ability to switch interfaces – one could be a phone screen, another could be an iPod screen, and yet more could be for any sort of other function imaginable – video playback, game playing, GPS, and so on. All on a single-screened phone. Will any or all of these features be included in an iPod phone? Does Apple envision this as being the next-generation iPod, or a separate device? And will third-party developers be able to create applications for the platform?

Arnold Kim, 13 Σεπτέμβρη 2006 στο MacRumors: Πετυχαίνει μόνο το χρώμα

The click-wheel is closer to the bottom of the device with the screen taking a vertical orientation. The click-wheel portion of the device reportedly slides down to reveal a traditional numeric dial-pad underneath. The front is black, while the back is chrome like the current iPod.

James Alan Miller, 5 Οκτώβρη 2006 στο PDAStreet. Πενήντα-πενήντα!

According to ThinkSecret, Apple scaled back its ambitions a bit for the first iPhones: Instead of re-inventing the wheel, the company used some off-the-shelf parts and current iPod technology. In addition to the first model, there may be two or three others rolled out throughout 2007.

The first iPhone is said to feature a 2.2-inch display, 3.3-megapixel camera and an instantly recognizable Apple design, with the company’s usual elegant user interface. There will be iSync support and complete iTunes compatibly, of course. The idea is that people will go for this single device rather than both an iPod and a cell phone.

Unlike the widely panned Motorola ROKR E1 from last year, the first cell phone with iTunes compatibly, the iPhone won’t be limited to a 100 song capacity. The only limit should be the amount of storage available on the device. The same goes for photos.

No word on whether there will be support for video as well. Although one would think that since users should be able to take high quality video with such a high megapixel camera, there will be the capability of downloading movies and TV shows as well.

Reports also say that like the ROKR when it was first released, Cingular Wireless has signed an agreement with Apple to carry the iPhone exclusively for six months; which means other operators won’t be able to offer the device until mid-year.

Katie Dean, 1 Νοεμβρίου 2006 στο TheStreet.com. Τελείως ανακριβές. [Σημείωση: η Cingular αργότερα μετονομάστηκε σε AT&T]

Reports that wireless carrier Cingular will team up with Napster and Yahoo! go a long way to suggest it doesn’t plan to work with Apple on its music phone offering.

But rather than turn up the competitive heat on Apple, the move by Cingular, which is jointly owned by AT&T and BellSouth, could turn out to be a plus for the digital music king.

ThinkEquity analyst Jonathan Hoopes suggests that Apple might opt with its upcoming iPhone to become a “mobile virtual network operator,” which could be a better deal.

MVNOs, as they’re called, don’t own their own spectrum but enter into deals with carriers to use spectrum for their own brand-named services. Virgin Mobile, for one, is an MVNO.

And it might make sense for Apple to forge ahead on its own, Hoopes says. “If Apple just makes a phone and sells it, the carrier gets the recurring revenue of songs and data,” he says. “If they make the phone and deliver [it] in a MVNO, then they can potentially tap into a recurring revenue stream.”

Om Malik, 16 Νοέμβρη 2006 στο GigaOm. Mέχρι σήμερα το iPhone κυκλοφορεί κλειδωμένο στις περισσότερες χώρες εκτός από κείνες που υπάρχει η αντίστοιχη νομοθεσία για ξεκλείδωτα τηλέφωνα.

Apple, it is rumored has signed a deal that will allow the Cupertino-based computer company to source 12 millioniPhone has been subject of rampant speculation. iPod-based phones from a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer. In itself, the news is hardly a surprise for the

What is surprising the speculation that Apple will sell these phones unlocked, allowing consumers to pop in their SIM cards and use it as a phone. In the US, that would mean getting a SIM card from either the Cingular or T-Mobile. If this is indeed true, and it is not clear if it is so, then Apple will be lending a helping hand to the mobile phone makers.

The introduction of the unlocked iPhone will do two things – it would basically get US buyers savvy to the idea of buying full priced unlocked phones. Secondly, it is going to cause a behavior change – of buying phones instead of freebies.

It won’t be a mass-market phenomenon in the early stages, but eventually (as shown by iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle), Apple will bring the iPhone prices down to a mass-market price point.

Katie Marsal, 20 Νοέμβρη 2006 στο AppleInsider. Προβλέπει ένα iChat-mobile που μέχρι στιγμής δεν έχουμε δει.

Apple Computer, which recently released its first mobile handset to manufacturing, is working on a second model that will incorporate messaging capabilities, according to one Wall Street analyst.

“From our understanding, it will leverage off existing iChat software that runs on Macs,” American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu told clients on Monday. ”We believe it will focus initially on mobile IM as opposed to e-mail.”

Wu said it’s unclear when Apple hopes to deliver the second device to market, as it appears to remain in the development phase. He said this newly uncovered handset is likely the company’s ’smart phone’ and could be branded as “iChat mobile.”

Ryan Block, 3 Δεκέμβρη 2006 στο Engadget. Οι φήμες για CDMA μοντέλο έχουν την τιμητική τους το τελευταίο διάστημα αλλά τίποτα δεν έχει επιβεβαιωθεί.

So apparently last night Kevin Rose, of Digg and Diggnation fame, apparently confirmed information he knew about the iPhone on his eponymous vidcast. According to Kevin, who, to his credit, accurately predicted one of Apple’s most secretive and hyped launches of 2005, the iPod nano, the iPhone will feature the following:

• January launch on “all” providers, both CDMA and GSM
• Extremely small form factor
• Two battery design (with single charger) — one for playing music, the other for phone functions
• Flash memory: 4GB for $249, 8GB for $449
• “Slide-out keyboard”
• Possibly touchscreen

There’s obviously a lot there to process — some new rumor, some old rumor, and some which does and does not jibe with what we’ve heard. According to a trusted source of Engadget’s, whose iPhone information has gone heretofore unpublished, it’s pretty safe to say it won’t have a QWERTY keyboard (although it may be a slider), touchscreen is out, and it’s only going to be GSM with 3G at launch, going with a singular carrier in the US (guess which).

W. David Gardner, 8 Δεκέμβρη 2006 στο InformationWeek. Ο Steve Jobs τελικά ανακοίνωσε το iPhone στη Macworld Expo.

With Apple Computer’s annual MacWorld Expo in San Francisco just a month away, the rumors are focusing on what Steve Jobs will announce in his keynote address.

It’s not likely to be Apple’s much-anticipated iPhone, according to CIBC World Markets analyst Ittai Kidron, who speculates the phone won’t be announced until after the Jan. 9-12 event in San Francisco.

For weeks now, other Apple watchers — including Web site ThinkSecret.com — have said the ambitious cell phone-music player combo won’t be ready in time for the expo.

Arnold Kim, 13 Δεκέμβρη 2006 στο MacRumors. Δεν υπήρχε click-wheel!

Morgan Stanley analyst Rebecca F Runkle has “high conviction” that the iPhone will launch in the first half of 2007. In addition to this, she cites unnamed sources to provide some specs for the unreleased Apple phone:

– $599 for 4GB
– $649 for 8GB
– Wider than the iPod nano
– Thinner than the iPod Video
– Made of Metal
– Multiple colors, but at least including black, white, and silver
– Cingular Wireless is likely carrier in the U.S.
– Update: Clarification: Runkle actually claimed: “full screen LCD; 3.5 inch (28×21)” and approximately 4/10ths of an inch thick. Also incorporates a Virtual Click wheel.

Brian Lam, 17 Δεκέμβρη 2006 στο Gizmodo. Yπήρξε μια δικαστική διαμάχη για το όνομα iPhone μιας και τα δικαιωμάτα ανήκαν στην Cisco. Τελικά οι δύο εταιρείες τα βρήκαν

Cisco rightfully owns the trademark for iPhone. And Apple can’t sue them or bully them into giving it up. The tech world had taken the title for granted, assumed it to be proper, plastered it over magazine covers, and now the name is lost. Which means Apple’s iPhone, if there even is an iPhone, will have to be named something else. It’s a big deal, if you think about what that name meant.

Stéphane Dion, 28 Δεκέμβρη 2006 στο iPhone Freak. Πέτυχε μόνο το touchscreen.

Expected iPhone specifications:

• Slide out keypad.

• Touch screen display.

• Combined MP3 player and phone, coming in two sizes, 4GB costing $249, and 8GB costing $449.

• Two batteries, one for the MP3 player and one for the phone, so you don’t run down your phone while listening to music.

• It going to made from Zirconia, a scratch resistant ceramic material that can be made into a variety of different colours including, white, black, navy blue, light blue, ivory, brown, platinum and gold.

Unbylined blogger, 1 Ιανουαρίου στο FierceCEO. Yπήρξε μόνο ένα iPhone και όχι δύο.

Here’s what I think: Apple will announce two phones–one will ship immediately and the other will launch later this year. The first will be little more than an iPod Nano with basic phone capabilities while the latter will boast more advanced smartphone functions including real-time IM using Apple’s iChat platform (and by proxy, AOL and Jabber). Both phones will come in a shockingly small and sleek Nano-style case and will operate on a Cingular-run Apple network.

John Gruber, 9 Ιανουαρίου 2007 στο Daring Fireball. Είχε δίκιο. Το iPhone εισήγαγε ένα νέο λειτουργικό σύστημα!

Even just a few days ago, I did not expect to see Apple announce a phone this week. But over the weekend I flip-flopped, and I now think it’s more likely than not. Not a VOIP phone that depends on Wi-Fi or anything like that, but an honest-to-god mobile phone. It seems like there has to be some sort of “Wow, I thought maybe Apple would announce a phone but I didn’t think they’d do it like this!” factor, but damned if anyone knows what it is. My wild unlikely-but-wouldn’t-it-be-cool-as-shit guess: that it’s not an iPod phone, but rather the introduction of a new mobile device OS.

Aυτά τα ολίγα.

Όπως θα προσέξατε κανείς δεν μπόρεσε να προβλέψει με επιτυχία το iPhone. Η σκέψη όλων ήταν ότι η Apple θα έβγαζε ένα τηλέφωνο βασισμένο στο iPod και στα άλλα κινητά της αγοράς. Ήταν όλοι λάθος.

Ας ελπίσουμε η Apple να μας εκπλήξει για μια ακόμη φορά με το tablet και να παρουσιάσει κάτι φρέσκο που θα αλλάξει την αγορά και θα διαδραματίσει τον ίδιο ρόλο με το iPhone.

Tα στοιχεία και οι εικόνες για το άρθρο αυτό προήλθαν από το technologizer.com

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